“Colin, Colin, the squirrels just came and picked up the nuts I put out there for them this morning,” Reagan said.

Powell figured that was Reagan’s way of saying, “This meeting is over.” So he excused himself.

Hearing this story, McDermott assumed that Powell might feel insulted that the president was ignoring one of his key aides. But Powell drew a different conclusion. “Bill, he taught me a very valuable lesson,” Powell said.

Powell interpreted Reagan’s behavior as an implicit rebuke—that the president expected Powell to handle interagency squabbling on his own. As a result, Powell never again tried to up­­wardly delegate a problem to the president.

Taking Powell’s story to heart, McDermott sought to lead SAP by pulling back and giving key managers more autonomy to make decisions and solve their own problems.

Very good lesson indeed. That’s why companies hire project managers – to be both responsible and accountable. Our executives and senior management are looking for answers and not for our complaints as to why we can’t get things done.

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